Objective: Evaluate the impact of the Dobbs vs Jackson decision on abortion volume and patient characteristics in Oregon, a state with no legal restrictions on abortion, at a single tertiary care hospital.
Methods: Electronic health records from patients who received an abortion at Oregon's largest tertiary health center were utilized comparing the year before and after Dobbs.
Results: Monthly average abortions increased from 57.8 pre-Dobbs to 77.1 post-Dobbs (p=0.001). This trend was associated with an increased proportion of out-of-state patients (14.3% vs 9.5%, p=0.004) presenting with gestational duration ≥ 26 weeks (23.6% vs 3.7% in-state, p<0.001).
Conclusions: The Dobbs decision resulted in increased utilization of hospital-based abortion care in a protective state, characterized by a greater prevalence of patients traveling from out-of-state and presenting at later gestational durations. These trends reflect the critical role of protective states in preserving access to abortion care.
Keywords: Abortion; Abortion Ban; Abortion Restrictions, Dobbs vs Jackson, Roe vs Wade; Family Planning Policy; Health Policy; Public Policy.
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